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Home > G-suit > Fitting the G-suit:
- Patience and Persistence
- Spandex
- Leggings
- Getting In and Out
- Making Smaller
- Making Bigger
- Clothing
- Washing Instructions
Fitting the G-suit
Patience and Persistence
I thought that waiting to get a g-suit was really hard; I was suddenly so impatient. I found out, though, that fitting the g-suit is the hard part. First of all, I needed a lot of help from my mom over a period of several days. Most of the time we were working on it, I had to stand without any of the benefits of an inflated g-suit. I would put it on, and she would adjust the size. Then I would take some time to get used to it, and we would decide if it needed to be adjusted again or if any other changes needed to be made. Fitting my g-suit was the straightforward process. To fit my mom's g-suit, it was especially tricky. (She says these are made for boys with no hips!) It took several months of perseverance to get her g-suit to fit her properly. By the way, we have since gotten her a different g-suit, and it fits her better, and it was a much easier process to size to her.
Spandex
The g-suit is not lined so it is not very comfortable to wear with bare legs. It needs something slick so that it will move better with the body. For these reasons, we bought spandex ankle pants that have a drawstring waist.
Leggings
I found that jeans, slacks, and sweatpants have too much extra material to wear under the g-suit. I bought denim and cotton leggings that are form fitting and do not have or create any bagginess. I wear these instead of spandex to go out.
Getting In and Out
When we were fitting the g-suits, we decided to make them just big enough so it would be possible to slide our legs in and out of the g-suit (when it is not inflated) with only unzipping the inseam zippers up to the knee. (I am still finding ways to save energy!) Also, unzipping the comfort zippers to make more room while getting in and out can be helpful.
Making Smaller
There are six adjustment areas. The shoelace type lacings in the back are tightened/loosened to adjust the size of the g-suit. They are covered by flaps with velcro and are located at each calf, behind each thigh, and two are at the lower back. (Once the lacings are adjusted so the g-suit fits correctly and comfortably, they do not need to be adjusted every time the g-suit is put on.) The first g-suit that I got was a little too big, so we made it the smallest it could be and then let the air bladders do the rest of the work.
Making Bigger
The first g-suit that my mom tried turned out to be too small, even though she met the height and weight measurement guidelines easily. We tried making it as big as possible by actually taking out some of the strings altogether and even unzipping the comfort zippers, but it was still hurting her. We knew from my experience that it should be tight or snug when inflated, but it should not hurt.
Clothing
I decided to try to wear my regular style of clothing and jewelry and dress as nicely as possible even though I am also wearing a g-suit.
Washing Instructions
The label on the g-suit states: Do not iron or dry clean. Plug air inlet port securely. Wash with mild soap and with water not over 120 degrees F. The material of the outer shell of this anti-g garment is an inherent fire resistant material that will not melt or drip and can be laundered without losing its fire resistant properties. No retreatment is necessary.
An easy way to get a thorough cleaning of the g-suit at home is: Cover the hose valve with a plastic sandwich bag and rubber band to keep it dry. Holding the valve in your hand, place the g-suit in the washing machine with cold water and Woolite. Continue to hold valve in hand and agitate on delicate for 5 minutes. Transfer the g-suit to a laundry tub. Rinse while holding valve in your hand. Hang the g-suit to drip dry with the valve up and away from any dripping. The g-suit should be dry in 24 hours.